A new process of verifying documents needed to get photo identification cards for voting will help make obtaining free government voter ID cards easier, according to a joint release from the Department of Motor Vehicles and the Department of Health Services.
The new process involves the free verification of underlying documents, such as a birth certificate, for anyone who wants an ID to vote, beginning Sept. 15.
Gov. Scott Walker stressed the need to provide access to legal identification for voters in a statement Wednesday.
“While most voters have identification, or the ability to get an ID, this verification system provides an option for the very small number of people who do not, without any cost to them,” Walker said in the statement.
State Sen. Mary Lazich, R-New Berlin, hailed the statement and said she was “ecstatic the Governor Walker administration addressed the problem of the few electors without ID.” She said the program is a great example of cutting through bureaucracy.
“Voter ID establishes a level of integrity in our election process that is sorely lacking, and voter ID adds confidence to our democracy,” Lazich said in the statement.
The Department of Transportation also released a statement Wednesday supporting the new process.
“We are working to ensure that individuals seeking a Wisconsin ID are able to satisfactorily prove their identity through a seamless process,” said DHS State Registrar Oskar Anderson in the statement.
Voters are not required to have an ID to participate in the November elections.
